Police Officer (Entry-Level) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. SCUSPD-202411-EL Department Supreme Court of the United States
Salary $81,552.00 to $139,419.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/1/2024 Close Date 11/30/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This is a full-time position with the Police Department of the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C.

$81,552 - Entry-level
$89,854 - After 30 months (Private First Class)
$139,419 - Maximum base salary at the Private First Class rank
$146,390 - Maximum base salary at the Corporal rank
$157,176 - Maximum base salary at the Sergeant rank

Duties

The Supreme Court of the United States Police is a Federal law enforcement agency that derives its authority from United States Code 40 U.S.C. 6121. The Supreme Court Police enforce Federal and District of Columbia laws and regulations, as well as enforce regulations governing the Supreme Court Building and grounds prescribed by the Marshal and approved by the Chief Justice of the United States. The department's mission is to ensure the integrity of the Constitutional Mission of the Supreme Court of the United States by protecting the Supreme Court, the Justices, employees, guests, and visitors.

The Supreme Court Police are responsible for providing a full range of police services, to include:

  • Protection of the Supreme Court Building and grounds, and persons and property therein;
  • Dignitary Protection for the Supreme Court Justices, both domestically and internationally;
  • Maintain suitable order and decorum within the Supreme Court Building and grounds, to include policing demonstrations and large-scale events;
  • Provide Courtroom security;
  • Prepare numerous reports to include incident, found property, accident, and arrest reports, as well as testify in court.
Specialty Units are available to officers depending on time-in-service, completion of training, and experience. The Supreme Court Police offers both part-time and full-time specialized units. These units include:
  • Dignitary Protection Unit
  • Protective Intelligence Unit
  • K-9 Unit
  • Background Investigations Unit
  • Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) Team
  • Recruitment Division
  • Police Operations Center - Dispatch
  • Physical Security Unit
  • Liaison positions with partner agencies (FBI, JTTF, DHS, USCP)
  • Training Unit
  • Honor Guard
  • Various instructor positions, to include: Firearms, Driving, Defensive Tactics, CPR/First Aid

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Status as a U.S. Citizen, National, or one who owes allegiance to the United States
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See: www.sss.gov
  • Meet Experience Requirements (see Qualifications)
  • Applicants must be licensed to drive for at least one year at the time of application, and have an excellent driving record.
  • A Supreme Court Police Officer must be able to maintain proficiency in the use of a firearm. Applicants who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm and are ineligible for the position.
  • Officers are prohibited from having visible body markings (including, but not limited to: tattoos, body art, facial piercings, gauges, and brandings) on the head or neck (above the collar), hands, and fingers (any area from wrist bone to fingertips).
  • Hair of female officers shall not exceed more than four (4) inches (to include being restrained by hair restraints) below the top of the collar. Hair color shall consist of only natural hair colors.
  • Hair of male officers shall not extend more than half an inch below the top of the collar. Hair color shall consist of only natural hair colors.
  • Well-trimmed, neat mustaches and beards are permitted. The length and bulk of the mustache or beard shall not exceed more than a quarter of an inch.
  • Employment is subject to successful completion of a medical exam, which includes rigorous fitness standards. Medical exam consists of blood work, drug screening, height, weight, stress test, EKG, vision, hearing, and body fat.
  • Body fat will be measured using a body composition analyzer at the time of the medical exam.
  • Vision requirements: For distance, corrected 20/20 or better binocularly with at least 20/40 in each eye. Uncorrected distant visual acuity should be 20/100 or better binocularly.
  • Colorblindness: Applicant must be able to pass the Ishihara's Test for Color Deficiency.
  • Hearing Requirements: Applicant must be able to pass the hearing test without the use of hearing aids.
  • Police Officer Selection Test (POST): You must receive a 70% or higher on each section of the POST. The exam consists of four sections, which include Math, Spelling, Reading Comprehension, and Report Writing. The exam is multiple choice and timed.
  • Completion of a psychological exam, which includes a Personal History Questionnaire, the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) Exam, the Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI) Exam, and a structured psychological interview with a clinical psychologist.
  • Successful completion of a Physical Abilities Test (PAT): The PAT will consist of four events, completed as one continuously timed exam. The maximum allowable time (regardless of age or gender) is three minutes and forty-five seconds (3:45).
  • Successful completion of a comprehensive background investigation, which will include employment references dating back 10 years, personal references, driving history, credit history, criminal history, drug history, and academic records.
  • Failure to provide correct information, or omitting information, at any point during your application will be grounds for termination from the hiring process.

Qualifications

The criteria listed below must be met in order to be eligible to apply:
  • An applicant's education/experience must include at least one of the following to be considered:
    • An Associate's degree or higher from an accredited institution (or being within six months of graduation);
    • A minimum of one year of full-time experience as a sworn police officer;
    • A minimum of three years of active duty military service (or one year of active duty military service for Military Police, Master-at-Arms, Security Forces, and Maritime Enforcement Specialists);
    • A minimum of three years of extensive work history in positions that develop skills and competencies that are transferrable to the role of an entry-level law enforcement officer (consideration under this category will be on a case-by-case basis and take into account all other suitability criteria).
  • Applicants must be mature, reliable, skilled in oral and written communication, and have excellent interpersonal skills.
  • Must have the ability to display a high standard of ethical conduct and be trusted in all work situations.
  • Applicants must have no record of felony convictions, and must not currently be involved in any pending criminal charges.
  • Applicants must be licensed to drive for at least one year at the time of application, and have an excellent driving record.
  • Applicants who possess prior military service must have been separated under honorable conditions (honorable discharge).
  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens by birth or naturalization.
  • Applicants must be at least within six months of turning 21 years of age, but not yet 39 years of age at the date of application, with some exceptions as noted below:
    • Applicants over the age of 39 may still be considered if they can demonstrate sufficient prior coverage under the federal law enforcement retirement system special provision to allow them to achieve at least 20 years of total service before reaching age 60. See 5 U.S. Code 8425(d) for details on the special provision.

Education

A high school diploma is the minimum educational requirement for applicants meeting the other eligibility criteria.

Additional information

Working for the Supreme Court of the United States Police offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health insurance benefits, premium pay, and eligibility for retirement with 20 years of service at age 50, or 25 years of service at any age.

  • Sick Leave - Employees earn 104 hours of sick leave per year that accrues without limit. Sick leave not utilized at the time of retirement will be added to the annuitant's length of service when calculating their retirement benefit.
  • Annual Leave - Employees earn annual leave at the following rates: 13 days per year for the first three years of service, 20 days after three years of service, and 26 days every year after 15 years of service. Employees may carry over a maximum of 240 hours (30 days) of annual leave from one calendar year to the next;
  • Overtime - Supreme Court Police Officers working overtime are eligible to earn monetary pay or compensatory time at a rate of 1.5 times their derived hourly pay;
  • Premium Pay - Supreme Court Police Officers working the hours between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM are eligible to earn Night Differential at a rate of 10% of their derived hourly pay. Sunday premium is earned at a rate of 25% of their derived hourly pay;
  • Paid Parental Leave - The Court provides up to 12 administrative workweeks of paid parental leave during the 12-month period following the birth or new placement of a child;
  • Retirement - The Federal Law Enforcement Retirement System offered by the Supreme Court of the United States is a special variant of the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) offered to most U.S. government employees. Law Enforcement FERS is a three-part retirement program:
    • The first part is a defined-benefit plan (annuity) calculated by applying the average of the highest three years of earnings (high-3) to the length of service of an employee. Police annuitants receive 1.7% of their high-3 for the first 20 years of their service, and 1% for each additional year. This translates to 34% of the high-3 for police officers retiring after 20 years of service, and 39% if retiring after 25 years.
    • The second part is the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), which is a defined-contribution pension (savings account). Employees may contribute up to the IRS maximum, and the Court will match any contributions up to 5% of base salary;
    • The third part of the FERS benefit is access to social security. As Supreme Court Police Officers are able (and required) to retire before they are eligible to apply for social security, a FERS supplement is paid to compensate until age 62;
    • Employees with prior military service may buy back their active duty military time to be added to their length of service for the purposes of the annuity calculation. Military time cannot, however, be added to the length of service for determining retirement eligibility;
  • Educational Assistance - Up to $5,000 per calendar year is available based on budget approval and the relevance of the requested courses to enhance job performance. A signed agreement committing the employee to repaying any amounts paid by the Court if the employee discontinues service from the Court within one year of completing the course is required.
Additional benefits include health and dependent care flexible spending accounts, long-term care insurance, and the SmartBenefits transit subsidy.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application and responses to the Pre-Screening Questionnaire will be reviewed and evaluated. Employment is subject to successful completion of the Police Officer Selection Test (POST), structured oral interview, background investigation interview, medical exam, physical abilities test, psychological exam, and a comprehensive background investigation. The POST and oral interviews are currently being offered virtually. To participate in our hiring process, you will need to travel to the Washington, D.C. area if you advance to the background investigation stage. The Supreme Court does NOT pay a travel per diem, hotel costs, or travel expenses for applicants to participate in our hiring process.

The four events for the Physical Abilities Test (PAT) will be:

  • A Slalom Run between two (2) sets of cones, placed 75 feet apart for an overall distance of 375 feet;
  • Descending and Ascending one (1) flight of steps, completing five (5) down and up series;
  • Dragging a 165 lbs Rescue Dummy a distance of 40 feet;
  • Fifteen (15) single-handed trigger pulls with each hand, while the arm is extended. The timer will stop once the 30th trigger pull is completed.

Applicants who are hired will also be required to successfully complete the 13-week Uniformed Police Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).

Due to the high number of applications received and the number of positions available, passing all phases of the hiring process does not guarantee an offer of employment if better qualified applicants are identified.

Required Documents

The following documents are required of all applicants:

  1. Resume
  2. OF-306 Declaration for Federal Employment
  3. Police Applicant Pre-Screening Questionnaire
The following additional documents are also required if applicable to you:
  1. Cover Letter (optional, but encouraged)
  2. SF-50 Notice of Personnel Action (required for those with federal employment experience)
  3. DD-214 or Statement of Service (must include characterization of service)
  4. Unofficial College Transcript

How to Apply

All applications are reviewed in the order that they are received. Failure to provide all application materials will result in your application being denied. Please note that all applications must be filled out in their entirety and be legible in order to be considered.

You must complete, print, and sign the OF-306, as well as the Pre-Screening Questionnaire, then upload them along with your resume. These three documents are required in order to be considered. Please submit only these documents unless you have prior military service, or if you have federal employment experience. In those cases your DD-214, Statement of Service, and/or SF-50(s) must also be submitted. An unofficial college transcript is required if you are using education to qualify. You are also invited to include a cover letter if you wish.

  • To begin, click Apply Online to create a Login.gov account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJobs resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
  • Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
  • To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJobs account, https://www.usajobs.gov, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJobs account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJobs account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Supreme Court of the U.S. Police Department
Fax
(202) 479-5973
Email
JoinSCUSPD@supremecourt.gov
Address
Supreme Court Police Department
1 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20543
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

  • Upon submission, you will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your application. Please be advised that your application will not be considered complete unless all of the required documents have been received.
  • Best qualified applicants will be invited via email to take a written test at a date and time to be determined.
  • Applicants who pass the written test will be contacted to schedule an interview. NOTE: At this time the written test and interviews are being conducted virtually. Travel to Washington, D.C. will be required for applicants who advance to the background investigation stage.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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